Anteaters open with Broncos

UCI short men’s basketball pre (exhibition vs. Cal Poly Pomona)UCI meets visiting Cal Poly Pomona tonight.UC Irvine men’s basketball fans will get their first look at the 2005-06 Anteaters when they play host to Cal Poly Pomona in an exhibition game tonight at 7 at the Bren Events Center.

The Anteaters, who open their regular season Nov. 10 against George Mason in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer at Wake Forest, are coming off a 16-13 season.

Cal Poly Pomona was 24-7 a year ago, and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament.

UCI’s tentative starting lineup includes senior guards Ross Schraeder and Aaron Fitzgerald, junior forward Nic Campbell, and sophomore center Darren Fells -- all returners -- as well as freshman guard Adam Templeton.

Templeton has won the early battle to replace injured Jeff Gloger (torn ACL), according to Coach Pat Douglass, who enters his ninth season at UCI.

Schraeder averaged a team-high 12.9 points per game last season. Fitzgerald led the Big West Conference with 5.2 assists per game and averaged 12.7 points in his first season at UCI.

-- Barry Faulkner